Pacific Rugby Cup

Ever heard of the Pacific Rugby Cup?


It may not be as famous as the Super 14 or the Premiership, but it includes 6 teams that could surely kick the ass of more than just one european club. It is a competition ruled by the Pacific Rugby Union.

• 2 teams from Samoa: Upolu Samoa and Savai Samoa
• 2 teams from Fiji: Fiji Warriors and Fiji Barbarians
• 2 teams from Tonga: Tau'uta Reds and Tautahi Gold

It is a relatively young competition, a single round robin competition with the best two teams facing each other in a final game.

2006 saw the Savai Samoa crown champions while in 2007 Upolu Samoa defeated Tau'uta Reds to win the second edition of the Pacific Rugby Cup.

This year, Upolu Samoa have also reached the final but their rivals will be Tautahi Gold, and the final game is played in Apia within a few hours!

Peter de Villiers is just what South Africa needs

Read this if you thought otherwise.

the "other" semifinal

My blood boils when I read the predictions at www.rugby365.com . If you read the predictions, only one out of ten has given the Waratahs as winners. Why? I read the poll in the website about what will be the final and

• around 40% believe it is going to be Sharks. Crusaders
• aorund 40% believe otherwise, it is going to be Sharks vs Hurricanes

I mean, what the f....

The you come down to reasonings, like Steve Farrell tries to do and... oh! surprise!!! his prediction is that the Sharks will win by five!!!

Ok, I am no Waratahs supporter, but ademittedly, few teams have shown the consistency that the 'tahs have shown during this season. Not the Sharks, for sure. I feel that I must give some realistic data over the Waratahs chances to go to the semifinal.

1. Since 1996, only 4 times out of 24 (17%) a Super Rugby semifinal game has been won by an "away" team.
2. From 2003 on, no team has won an "away" Super Rugby semifinal.
3. In 2008 the both Waratahs and Sharks have won every single game at home, but only 3 out of 7 games played away.
4. Their game in Sydney earlier this year resulted in Sharks second loss of the season by 25-10
5. The Sharks have managed to win just three times (out of ten games) against the Waratahs.

I think this semifinal will be very very very close. Both teams are excellent at defending but I think the Waratahs have a better attack. I don't expect a clear winner but in the end, the home soil can be a decissive factor.

Of course, the Sharks have their own chances but what I think is nonsense is this absolute certainty of certain media in the Sharks triumph.

McAlister could come back to New Zealand

All Black Luke McAlister could come back as early as next year if we are to trust the information that The NZ Herald publishes.

It would be good news surely for the Blues, as two all-star midfielders called Evans and Nacewa will leave creating a big hole in the Blues line-up.

McAlister also says that England will struggle against the pace of the All Blacks. But that is hardly a news, just like saying that a stone will fall off a building with an acceleration almost equal to 10 meters per square second.

Graham Henry speaks

Apparently, the level of the 2008 Super 14 has not been good enough for Graham Henry for much of the past 4 months, as he has publicly stated that it is a luck that the level has been raised during the last weeks.

What now? Is Super 14 not enough for the All Blacks? Or could it be that it is a bit difficult to adapt to the new ELVs?.

What are then, northern hemisphere teams going to face if it is needed at least 2 to 3 months to get used and reach the test level that Henry wants? What is going to happen in the test games in november?

The Sharks make the semifinals

Low-scoring Sharks managed to dish 7 tries against the Chiefs and gathered a 47 - 25 win that pushes them ahead the Stormers and the Hurricanes for the third place in the 2008 Super 14 semifinals.

Thus, the semifinals will be Crusaders - Hurricanes and Waratahs - Sharks.

Stormers win in the final 5 minutes

The Stormers seemed unable to defeat the Lions for much of the second half at Johannesburg, but two late tries in the crazy dying momments of the match (3 tries have been scored in 5 minutes) awarded the Stormers the win and are in the fight for the semifinals. However, the came one try short of the crucial bonus point, which would have classified them directly for the semifinals.

The Hurricanes are thus, classified, and the Blues are out of the top 4.

Lions 13 - Stormers 22

Waratahs to the semifinals

The Waratahs have defeated the Reds at Brisbane and haved booked a place for the semifinals. Blues and Hurricanes have to wait.

Reds 11 - Waratahs 18

Blues top Hurricanes

In a extremely tense match, the Hurricanes were defeated by the Blues in Auckland. Thus, now they both have chances to make the semifinals but they also need the Stormers or the Sharks or the Waratahs not to win in their own final matches.

Blues 19 - Hurricanes 17

Final word: Super 14 week 14

As I said, it was such a close call, such a close call...

This is my last prediction for the semifinals spots as displayed by a wonderful website: http://www.lassen.co.nz/s14tab.php

I remember I first predicted Crusaders, Sharks, Hurricanes and Blues.
Two weeks ago I said Crusaders, Waratahs, Hurricanes and Chiefs.
And with one day to go I say: Crusaders, Waratahs, Hurricanes and Stormers.

What will be the end of the road?

ELVs at the Tri Nations

Robbie Deans wants the ELVs played during the Tri Nations.
Wayne Smith says NZ wants them too.

Does it mean we will have an ELV Tri-Nations?

What does South Africa think?

Waratahs and Stormers draw

And are both still in the fight for the semifinals.

Stormers 13 - Waratahs 13

Chiefs spoil it against the Lions

The Chiefs have lost against the Lions in what is the greatest surprise of the week so far.

They are out of the semifinals and no one but them is to be blamed.

Lions 33 - Chiefs 27

Sharks bonus-point win in the last minute

The Sharks managed to get 5 points out of their match against the Cheetahs with two tries in the last minutes.

Sharks 33 - Cheetahs 14

Blues late charge

Tuitavake and an incredible Nick Evans spearheaded the late charge of the Blues in the game at Dunedin.

Both in the game and in this 2008 season the Blues took and early lead just to fall victim of some slumb. They did however end on a high, which was enough to secure them 5 points but... will it be enough to make the semifinals.

Highlanders 15 - Blues 40

Hurricanes win

In slippery conditions at Wellington and despite a ferocious defense by the West Force, the Hurricanes managed to win and have moved a step forward to the semifinals.

Hurricanes 21 - West Force 10

New Zealand: 100 years coming to an end

Whoever doubts that New Zealand has been the dominant power in the world of rugby for the last 100 years, either he believes rugby is played with 13 men or is a Springbok.

In fact, only the strongest South Africa has been able to stop the All Black machine of rugby, being the Springboks/All Blacks tours the most intense that this game has witnessed.

Please, do forget the Northern Hemisphere.

But it happens everywhere. Ford was the everything in the world of automakers until the decade of the thirties, where so many changes in the industry saw a new giant best prepared to become the world leader (no other than GM, who, 70 years later, was also banquished when it was not strong enough to compete). Take Microsoft, the world leader was innovative but at the end died of success when a new kid on the block, Google, was healthier and ready to face the changes the industry needed.

Now come back to New Zealand. New Zealand have got the strongest rugby culture in the world. Their love for rugby is immense, and their have been the world power while rugby has been an amatheur issue, and also during the first and a half decade of professionalism, when the NZRU has been able to retain kiwi players at home.

The idea was that rugby in New Zealand was a home issue, and the best players of this secret world were shown abroad during tests and no one could match them.

Now players are not playing at home anymore: McAlister, Howlett, Jack, Hayman, Mauger, Rush, Marshall, Gear, Kelleher... are already gone. Evans, Flavell, Nacewa will. Collins, Carter, Tu'uiali most likely.


And NZRU cannot keep them at home any longer. Rugby has changed. Definately and forever. Provincial championships will no longer sustain the game. Privatised franchises will have to arise and the game become a business like business is football or basketball. Who shall rule then? When the Internet appeared, no one was greater than Microsoft and, even so, they fell to Google. Why? Because they were not flexible enough to adapt. With size often comes resilience to change. And the surname of adaptation is change.

Will New Zealand be adaptable enough to face the changes after 100 years of being the best?

He's gone

He's packed and he leaves for three years. To play with the Quins. He's better than they deserve.

The problem arises when you read that his contract is for three years. What will happen at the RWC 2011? By that time, he'll already be 34, and many things will have changed (I'm sure). Perhaps the NZRU will have agreed to let the players abroad play with the All Black jersey by that time.

Perhaps the RWC will not be it all in the rugby world.

Perhaps.

ELVs become global

With due apologies to my friend Monsieur Rugbycan, IRB is not exactly the same as the RFU. I don't think that, were it so, the IRB would have decided to introduce the ELVs everywhere as they have as neither WRU and RFU are fond of this idea.

It seems that now it is official, and that everyone shall play under these laws from August 1, so my question would be:

Shall the Tri Nations be played under the new rules? I think it's the only thing that would make sense.

Does that not give Robbie Deans certain edge over Graham Henry and Pieter de Villiers? Well, I don't consider these two to be any fools so I think the fact that Deans has already faced them for 10 games (up to 15 before they meet) can be a factor.

I am just glad that the ELVs are exported northwards, as south has still a thing or two to teach the north, not only players to lend-lease.

Farewell

Many a fan will miss Nucifora as the aussie coach heads back to 'Stralya after this super 14 season is over. (many however, won't at all)

Apparently he will be involved with the ARU and the Wallabies although the actual level of involvement has not been disclosed yet.

What now? Who will take care of a promising but needed of new ideas Blues side?